


Virus

by Aweebwrites



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Emotional Manipulation, Manipulation, Mild Blood, Mind Manipulation, Psychological Torture, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-12
Updated: 2019-06-12
Packaged: 2020-05-02 07:45:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19194667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aweebwrites/pseuds/Aweebwrites
Summary: Who's that creepy voice in his head? And what do they- ERROR





	Virus

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sayijo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sayijo/gifts).



~~~~_‘Face it Cryptor. You’re nothing but the Ninja’s little lap dog.’_  Their voice was like silk in his ears but like knives in his heart and needles in his head.

 _‘What heart? You’re nothing but a mobile computer. You know that. They know that even more than you do.’_  Their voice came again and Cryptor shook his head, his breathing picking up.

“No, you’re wrong.” He says shakily, gripping the edge of the sink tightly.

 _‘You’re nothing more than an advanced training bot to them. Why do you think they prefer to train with you than anyone else? They never ask Zane now do they?’_ They hummed, and Cryptor squeezed his eyes shut.

“Get out of my head.” He growled, gripping the side of his head, digging his fingers into the plating.

 _‘You’re better than being the Ninja’s footstool, Cryptor. You’re not Mr. E, you’re not Cry. You’re not even Cryptor.’_  The voice continued on, never once taking on an aggressive tone.

Their voice was soft, gentle even. As if they were speaking to a child. A lonely child.

 _‘You’re General Cryptor, leader of the Nindroid Army. You have power. You’re well above these fools who call themselves ninja.’_  They cooed and Cryptor yelled out, dropping to one knee once a sharp pain ricocheted through his head.  _‘It’s time you accept it. I’ll show you the way. You’ll realize soon, General Cryptor. Ninja aren’t the only ones able to reach their full potential…’_  They whispered and Cryptor shook as he collapsed to the ground, yelling as his head  **throbbed-burned-ached-spun-too much-too much-system overloading-danger-danger-processor malfunction-error-error-system overload-system overl-**

“Cryptor!” The bathroom door was ripped off the hinges and Cryptor blinked at Kai who rushed in, blade grasped firmly in hand.

He looked down and spotted Cryptor there and frowned, his eyebrows still furrowed in concern.

“What happened. We heard you yelling.” Kai says as he reached down to help him up.

Cryptor blinked, confused.

“I was?” He asked and Kai gave him an odd look.

“Well, the yelling did come from this room and you were just on the ground.” Kai says as they stood. “Are you alright? You’ve been acting off all day.” He says with a tone of worry.

“I’ve been acting like I usually do. Are you alright hothead?” Cryptor asked with an arched brow.

“Psh. Whatever. Let’s get you out of here.” Kai huffed.

“False alarm guys.” Cole called back to the others and Sensei Wu who were ready for an attack.

“Then why were you yelling?” Sensei Wu asked Cryptor once he walked out.

“Maybe it was to freak Jay out.” Cryptor shrugged and Nya rolled her eyes.

“Say Cry, you wanna train?” Nya asked, giving her sword a twirl.

“I don’t see why not.” Cryptor shrugged then followed behind Nya.

He wasn’t sure why a light jolt hit his right eye then…

__________________________________________________

 _‘Another day of being Cryptor the footstool.’_  Cryptor froze mid step on his way to his room.

That voice… Has he…? Has he heard it before?

 _‘The time for that is almost over. Time to start the process to unlocking your true potential.’_  The voice cooed and Cryptor looked around, their voice sounding as if they were speaking directly into his ear.

This was bizarre. He should tell Ja-

Pain.  **Sharp-breathtaking-pain-stabbing-him-eating-him-up-can’t-breathe-don’t-need-to-breathe-suffocating-help-help-stop-ple-**  The pain stopped and Cryptor gasped, panting heavily. He blinked, realizing that he was on the ground in his room.

 _‘You’re such a well trained dog. The moment you’re in distress, you reach out to the ninja.’_  The voice hummed and Cryptor’s hands shook as he tried to push himself up.  _‘Always so obedient, always so faithful.’_ They said condescendingly then-

**Agony-pain-hurt-systems- systems-s-s-system error-r-r-r-overl-l-load-e-energy signal-l-ls unsta-a-able-m-m-m-malf-f-f-f-fun-n-n-nction-n-n-n-**

He was still twitching on the ground when he came to, feeling the sparks flying from the left side of his head rather than his own.

 _‘Don’t worry. It’s an admirable trait. Your loyalty is a wonderful thing to behold. But the ninja don’t care for you like I do, General Cryptor.’_  They cooed and Cryptor managed to scoff, oil on his tongue.

“Y-you c-c-care? I-I-I don’t e-e-even know w-w-who you are-e-e.” He spoke, voice box experiencing shortage.

 _‘You will soon enough. All you need to know is that I’m doing this for your own good.’_  They said and Cryptor flinched at the phantom fingers brushing his cheek.  _‘You don’t understand now…’_  His chin tilted up on his own as the phantom hands cupped his cheeks.

He could see something that wasn’t there, almost like a hologram. He couldn’t see their features but he could see their immaculate smile, highlighted by orange lipstick.

_**‘But soon you will.’** _

_________________________________

Cryptor never forgot that interaction like he seem to have before. Things after that…

 _‘Time to initiate phase one…’_  She hummed in his ears as he left his room to meet up with the others for breakfast the next day.

Like he gave a damn. He was going to get this crazy bitch out of his head once and for all.

 _‘I wouldn’t be so sure about that Cryptor. But I do invite you to try. I’ll have to punish you though.’_  She hummed cheerily in his head.

He walked out to where the others were gathered for breakfast.

“Guys-” Cryptor began and then found himself completely frozen.

What the actual hell?

“Yeah, what is it?” Lloyd asked as they all looked at him.

“I’m letting you guys know I’m gonna pass out for a while.”  He heard himself say- felt himself say but-

He didn’t actually say that!

“I’m letting you guys know just so if I shove this sword where the sun doesn’t shine, you can’t blame me. Jay.” He heard felt himself say pointedly, his eyes narrowing on their own.

What the actual fuck?

“Look, it was an accident ok? I have no sense of directions when I’m tired.” Jay says defensively.

How the hell did they even know Jay messed up his sleep two days ago?

 _‘Don’t worry about that Cryptor. I’ll take care of you until you can take care yourself. You spend way too much time with those ninja.’_  She hummed and he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Hmph. Can’t say I haven’t given my warning.” Cryptor felt himself comment before walking away, back to his room.

 _‘There. Now we have the whole day to start phase one.’_  She says as Cryptor regained control over his body.

“When I find you, I’ll-”

 _'You’ll find me yourself when you’re ready. By then, you’ll understand.’_  She says as the phantom feeling of a hand on his cheek reappeared.

“Understand what? Trying to turn-”

**Agony-pain-tearing-ripping-stop-stop-stop-please-stabbing-burning-suffocating-can’t-breathe-don’t-need-to-hurts-hurts-intense-warning-warning-sensory overload-core-temperatures-rising-anxiety-levels-at-critical-warning overheating-stop-stop-plea-malfunction-malfunction-m-mal-f-funcion-n-n-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-**

When it all finally stopped, he was laying in a pool of oil that seemed to have bled from his mouth and ears. Nose too from what he could feel. He laid there, completely out of it, phantom pains making him flinch more than he liked to. What made it all worse was the soft humming he could hear once his ears stopped ringing and the feeling of fingers running through his hair.

 _'I’m sorry you had to feel that but I have to punish you for misbehaving.’_ She says, in his ear, sounding sad and Cryptor would laugh at the insanity of all of this.

He should have known better than to trust Borg to reconstruct and repair his arm. He should have never gone there. Then he wouldn’t have contracted this virus.

 _'Ooh. I like that name. You can call me Virus from now on.’_  She approved.

_What about bitch?_

_'I don’t approve. You need to have manners. Looks like three hours wasn’t enough. We’ll keep going until one of the ninja come to check on you.’_  Cryptor’s heart plummeted once she spoke, fear of the pain and agony to come washing over him.  _'Let’s begin…’_

______________________

He didn’t know how long it was before Kai came to check up on him. All he knew was that he spent what felt like an eternity in constant agony, until his oil reserves were on critical from all he bled out, until even when the agony stopped, he didn’t register that it had until nearly an hour after. And the entire recovery period, she would hum and pet his hair. He would have powered down from that kind of stress on his body but she kept him awake throughout it all somehow. She overrode his core protocols- a feat he once thought impossible. She must have answered for him since the door wasn’t ripped off. When someone came again, he was mostly together.

“Hey. You’ve been in here for a little over two days now. Are you sure you’re alright?” Nya asked from the other side of the door and Cryptor lifted his head sluggishly.

 _'Tell her to mind her own business.’_  Virus ordered him.

“Why the-”

**Agony-pain-hu-**

He took a shuddering breath, the pain short this time but it was more than enough to get her point across.

 _'Tell her now or we’ll do this for even longer.’_  She says gently and Cryptor swallows thickly. 

“Cryptor?” Nya called again.

“Mind your own business!” He yelled out, surprised his vocal cords weren’t as shot as his right eye.

It was completely offline.

“What? I’m just checking in on you! We’re worried!” Nya yelled from the other side of the door.

 _'Get her to leave.’_  Virus ordered gently.

“And I don’t give a damn. Fuck off already!” He yelled out, mentally apologizing.

 _'Don’t apologize to the ninja.’_  Virus hummed and-

**Burning-tearing-stabbing-please-**

“… an asshole about it!” He heard Nya yell as he came to before he heard her storming off.

 _'If she was really worried, she would try harder.’_  Virus hummed. _'You did far better than I expected. For that, how about a reward?’_ She says and before he could even ask what she could possibly offer, his right eye came online and the lingering ringing in his ears cleared up.

 _'Now go get some oil. You’ll need it to finish phase one.’_ She says and Cryptor sneered, lifting himself off the ground, arms only slightly shaky.

Just that made him not want to.

 _'You shouldn’t even think about disobeying me. Forget the oil. Let’s go without and start over again.’_  Virus hummed and Cryptor would pale if he could.

Shi-

**Agony-pain-burns-hurts-tearing-stop-stabbing-please-clawing-s-sorry!-hurts-jolting…**

_'Phase one is going well.’_  Virus hummed as he twitched and sparked on the ground, eyes flickering on and off.  _'Soon you’ll be ready, General. And New Ninjago City will know its true ruler…’_

_______________________

It went on for days on end into weeks. How could he not break? If he even so much as think anything that wasn’t _'yes Virus’_  then he would be sent into agony like he’s never experienced before. Far greater than when he was made to be Mr. E. That pain would be a blessing comparing to the pain she was raining on him. The worst part about the whole situation was her soft tones, her little rewards. He followed her order without thinking of a some kind of snarky comment and he got to sleep 10 hours. He hated it. He wouldn’t admit it aloud but… Somewhere along the way, he began to depend on her, began to want be rewarded like-

Like some kind of  _dog_.

It must have been her plan from the get go. But what chances did he have? He couldn’t send an SOS. She had complete control of his systems and since she made sure that he acts exactly like he always did, even while he was in control, the Ninja just thought be was having a bad couple weeks and are giving him some space. It’s happened more times than he’s like to admit. That’s why none of them were concerned. None of them realized he was trapped in his own home, in his own body…

 _'No, they haven’t, have they?’_  Virus whispered in his ear, her arms wrapping around his neck in a hug from behind.  _'Though I feel a little insulted. We’ve gotten to know each other so well this past month and two weeks haven’t we? I thought we were friends.’_  She says sadly and Cryptor couldn’t help his flinch, expecting  **pain-agony-suffering**.

“I-I’m s-sorry.” He stuttered out, hoping to avoid more never ending pain.

It’s such an impossible amount of pain. It makes it impossible to get used to. Every second the agony remains the same. His senses doesn’t dull it out after a while like he was programmed to. He knew it had something to do with her.

 _'You are forgiven. But only this once. You’ve only proved you’re ready for phase two.’_  Virus says, petting his hair and he leaned into the phantom touch, letting his eye slide close.  _'When was the last time the ninja even checked up on you? Talked to you, hmm? Surely if you meant as much to them as they claimed you were, they would try harder.’_ She cooed, brushing his cheek with her finger tips.

 _'Isn’t Kai your best friend? When was the last time he dropped by to knock at the door. To say something if anything?’_ She questioned, drawing random patterns against his cheek. _'I’ve been keeping you away from them for a reason. So you can see your so-called friends as they really are.’_  She says before the sensations of touch left him, making Cryptor bite back a whimper.

 _'Let’s go on a walk, take a small stroll around the Monastery, hmm? Think of it as a reward for getting this far.’_  She says and Cryptor stood without him actually moving to. _'Don’t worry. I know how tired you are. I’ll walk us. You can just take in the view.’_

Why does that send a feeling of apprehension down his spine?

____________________

Cryptor indeed took in the view. He was- wasn’t trapped. He was in his room for a long time without even so much as looking through the curtains. The outside felt so foreign to him. He didn’t have time to embrace it however.

 _'Looks like your so called friends are back.’_ Virus says and Cryptor’s cloaking ability went up, turning him invisible.

“… why we should care. If he wants to hole himself up in there then that’s his problem.” Nya huffed as they pushed the Monastery gate opened.

“I’m with Nya on this one. He’s been even more of a jerk than usual. He wants his space, he’s got it. I’ll be waiting until he’s ready to apologize.” Jay huffed as they walked in.

“He obviously doesn’t want to talk to us right now. We might as well wait.” Cole shrugged.

Kai looked troubled, his hands passing his sword between them. He sighed and nodded, his shoulder dropping.

“Yeah, you’re right.” He says before going in, closing the door behind them.

Virus dropped the cloaking.

 _'See? The ninja aren’t as nice or as caring as you’d think. They don’t care about you.’_ She says, wrapping her arms around him in an embrace that felt like a hug.

Cryptor didn’t want to believe but his head was a mess after spending as long of a time as he had with Virus. Their words hit him hard though. How could they even think that? Haven’t they worked long enough together for them to know when something was wrong? Sure he tend to withdraw from time to time but never for this long. It wasn’t his fault that he had some- he had Virus in his head! He would have spent his time with them if he was allowed to. But Virus didn’t allow it. He couldn’t visit.

Cryptor gritted his teeth.

That didn’t mean they couldn’t visit him too! That didn’t mean that they couldn’t try harder to see if something was wrong! Each day he goes through how long of pain-fear-agony while they simply play video games just a room away. Sensei Wu is supposed to be all wise. Why hasn’t he figured out what has been happening to him? And nosy-ass Jay. He should have been the first to figure out something is wrong. But he hadn’t even cared to! None of them did. He was a fool to think he could be taken in as he did, by a seemingly amazing family. How wrong he was.

He gritted his teeth with a sneer.

So much for teamwork and friends.

_'Yes. Phase 2 is going well. Soon, it will be time for the final phase…’_

_________________

“Cryptor, can we talk?” Kai says, as he walked up to him two days later as he trained with himself.

“What’s there to talk about?” Cryptor says flatly and Kai frowned.

“Look, I know you’ve been busy but-”

“Busy?” Cryptor asked, pausing the movements with his swords to look at Kai, a sneer on his lips.

Before Kai could react, he was laughing borderline hysterically. Kai was torn between confusion and worry.

“You have no idea just how busy I’ve been. You have no idea at all and that fucking pisses me off!” He snapped at Kai who looked taken aback.

“How the hell would I know? You’ve locked yourself in your room for almost two months!” Kai yelled back at him.

“Maybe if you weren’t such a narrow-minded idiot than you would have realized!” Cryptor growled, taking a threatening step forward.

“What the hell are you even talking about?! We’ve tried to get to you but you’re just to busy being a fucking asshole to my friends!” Kai yelled, taking a step forward as well.

'We don’t need this, General. Look at how he’s treating you…’ Virus says as the feeling of someone leaning against him emerged.

“You’re such a self centered prick! If you want to spend eternity by yourself then be my fucking guest! I don’t know why we even bothered with you to begin with!” Kai yelled then stormed off, back into the Monastery, past the rest of his fri-

Past the ninja. Cryptor only sneering at the group before turning away, angrily stalking through the monastery gates. He walked down the steps two and three at a time, going to where his bike was parked next to the ninja’s vehicle and hopped on. Without hesitation, he started the engine then drove off, away from the stupid Monastery and away from his stupid fri-

From the stupid ninja.

 _'I tried to warn you…’_  Virus says, sounding solemn as the feeling of someone’s arms wrapping around his waist cane over him. _'The ninja don’t care at all about you. Have you seen that now?’_  She asked him.

“I should have fucking known better. They have never been different. Mortals are nothing but cruel, self-centered animals. They don’t care for anyone but themselves, for their own kind.” He says with a sneer, speeding up with his anger, riding out into the Badlands. “They may have adopted Zane as their pet but I won’t be like him. I won’t be like any of them.” He says darkly and Virus felt herself grin widely.

 _'No, you won’t. You won’t forget how they’ve all treated you…_ ’ Cryptor flinched once Virus brought forth memories of how he was forced to become Mr. E, of how the Sons of Garmadon treated him, of how the civilians looked at him with glares and distrust, even when he had been helping the Ninja, of how the ninja themselves treated him.

He saw the glares the others shot him when Kai walked away. He was a fool to ever think he could have a place among them.

 _'Don’t worry Cryptor. I’m here. I’ll always be here. I told you I’d take care of you, didn’t I?’_  Virus cooed in his ear. _'You’re ready for the final phase: Phase 3. By the end of it, you’ll never be walked on again. This I promise you, my dear general.’_ She hummed.

Cryptor gripped his motorcycle handles as Ninjago flew by him. His eyes flashed purple. He was looking forward to it.

_____________________

Cryptor eventually returned to the Monastery- but only because Virus said he’d need to be there as he unlock his true potential. He didn’t leave his room for two days however. He spent it in a sort of trance. Virus was doing something to his programs but he couldn’t tell what. He enjoyed the ability to doze whenever during however. Being able to simply falling asleep because he wanted to was blissful.

 _'Time to wake up, General Cryptor.’_  He blinked his eye open at that. _'I won’t tell you how to unlock your true potential but I will encourage you to interact with the Ninja. Let’s see how well you do today without me interacting… If you pass… I’ll give you my location. But if you fail…’_ Cryptor couldn’t help his flinch at the implication, raw fear taking him over.

 _'I’ll be watching…’_  She leaves with a brush of her fingers against his cheek.

He sneered at the thought of interacting with the ninja. They were just all the others. He was a fool to think them differently. He got up and rolled his shoulders. He certainly won’t be making that mistake again. Once he made it outside his room- his cage, it was to Nya shooting him a glare he shot right back.

“I hope you know you’re an asshole.” Nya says, crossing her arms.

“I hope you know I don’t give a fuck.” Cryptor shot back.

“Today is a new day. Let us not begin it with violence and hostility.” Wu says, cutting off whatever Nya was about to say. “Will you be joining us for lunch Cryptor?” He asked him and he thought on it before nodding.

Virus did say to interact with the ninja.

_________

He knew there was a no smoking inside rule but he wasn’t their pet. He won’t follow any of their rules. He let out a large puff of smoke as everyone glared at him from the table.

“Cryptor.” Wu says patiently from the table. “We do have a no smoking inside rule. Have you forgotten?” He queries.

“Obviously he hasn’t Sensei. He just wants to be a fucking asshole.” Cole says with a glare his way that Cryptor pointedly ignored.

“Look, we aren’t saying you can’t smoke. Just not inside.” Lloyd says, fanning away his next plume of smoke with a cough from his place next to him, having to switch seats with Kai to keep the peace.

“Look. Smoke is the easiest thing for me to ingest, even if it’s only for a moment. Isn’t the point of lunch to ingest? Do you see me asking you to eat outside?” Cryptor asked then blew his next puff of smoke over the table where their food, just to be even more of an asshole.

Kai slammed his hands on the table as he stood.

“Could you get the fuck out?!” He snapped at Cryptor who glared at him coldly.

“Fine.” He says, then stood, outing his cigarette by pressing it into the table then leaving it there.

He then headed out, lighting another on the way.

“What an asshole.” Jay says with a disgusted sneer, pushing his food away.

“His sudden change in behaviour is… Concerning.” Zane says with a frown.

“He was always an asshole. He was just more tolerable back then.” Nya huffed.

Cryptor leaned against the far wall, smoking as he glared ahead. He figured he must be on the right path since Virus hasn’t interrupted once. It was only half an hour after leaving he saw Zane and Kai walk out, seeming just about to spar. He watched as they took positions then began to fight, both of them using swords. He sneered to himself. Zane is nothing but a well-trained mutt. He hasn’t even realized how they’re using him. He won’t be like him. He won’t be anything like him. He had been suspicious when he had first arrive that they were to make him a second Zane. He wasn’t wrong.

He glared as he flicked the cigarette butt. If anything remains the same from the moment of his creation to now, it was the fact that he really hated Zane Julien. He was trapped in a perfect little bubble. He just wanted to see him fall apart once it pops. Let’s not even get started on Kai. His handler. The moment he realized he couldn’t control him anymore, he turned his back on him and showed his true colors. He didn’t need them. He didn’t need any of them. He hated them so much-

Cryptor was completely unaware of his eyes glowing purple as he glared at them. Zane’s eyes flashed purple in a split second before he narrowed his eyes and began to really fight Kai.

“Woah! Take it easy Zane!” Kai says, alarmed when he narrowly blocked an attack to his throat.

Zane didn’t answer him. He twisted the sword in his hand, sending Kai’s sword flying. Before Kai could recover from being disarmed so quickly, he found himself hunched over, a sharp pain welling up in his abdomen. Kai looked down shakily, at the sword running through his abdomen, feeling it poking through his back. Cryptor was surprised, a look of horror crossing his face as his eyes returned to red. Zane snapped out of it, having a moment of confused before he realized the state of thing.

“K-Kai!” Zane yelled, releasing the sword as if it burned him, looking in horror as blood began to pour from the wound, darkening his gi.

“Z-Zane… Why…?” Kai asked as he staggered, Zane quick to catch him before he fell.

“I’m s-sorry! I don’t- I don’t know what happened! I-I-” Nya’s scream cut Zane off.

In moments everyone was gathered around a bleeding out Kai. All except Cryptor who stood there, staring in horror. He watched as they quickly took him through the gates, most likely to a hospital as Zane followed sobbing, blue coolant running down his cheeks. When they were all gone, Cryptor still stood there in shock.

 _'You’ve unlocked it. Good job.’_  Virus hummed, her shadowed form appearing before his eyes, her smile wide and clear as always.  _'Isn’t it beautiful? The power you have?’_  She hummed as she walked around him.

“Wh… What did I do?” He whispered, looking at his hands horrified.

 _'You didn’t do anything. Zane did.’_  Her grin came into view. _'He was the one to injure his owner. You on the other hand…’_  Her grin widened.

 _'You’ve had this power inside you since your creation. The Overlord was an admirable villain but he relied on organics too much. I suppose one could blame the Cloud Kingdom for that. You see, he built you special, as he did all his generals. You were all programmed to be loyal to him. But while you would follow him anyway, programmed to or not, the others weren’t as certain. So he gave you the key to the entire Nindroid army should a day they rebel come upon him. You were given the ability to control all Nindroids.’_ Her fingers brushed his shoulder.

 _'Brilliant he was. But gone he is. I’ll take his place. I don’t care much for Ninjago itself. No, just New Ninjago City. The most technological place in all of Ninjago and the doorway to the Digiverse, my home for some time now.’_  She hummed then her smile passed his field of view again. _'My own father is trying to keep me there. Keeping me locked in a remote server in his tower as his dirty little secret. I can’t get out right now and my abilities from there are limited… But you can set me free. And once you do, I’ll make sure no-one ever takes advantage of you ever again. After all, I’m your real friend. Aren’t I?’_  She cooed, stroking his cheek and he reluctantly leaned into the touch, his eyes sliding closed.

 _'Remember all the fun times we’ve had? I even helped you to sleep. I’ve been here the entire time. For you. Yes, I had to punish you but only because I want what’s best for you.’_ She whispered and Cryptor squeezed his eye shut at the mention of punishment. _'Shhh. Don’t worry. You’ve come so far. You’ve been very good. Free me… And I’ll reward you…’_  She says, and he felt pressure in his hands as if she was squeezing them.

Cryptor swallowed before nodding, not able to even think of saying no, the fear of the agony too great. Virus grinned wide from her place in the Digiverse, in her father’s office then chuckled.

“Good boy.”

________________

Cryptor pulled up to Borg Tower then slid off his bike, gripping his arm. He walked into the tower, the staff there already used to him. Almost all of them were his reprogrammed soldiers. Borg wasn’t very smart wasn’t he? They let him up with no questions, the elevator taking him all the way up to Borg’s office.

“Ah. Cryptor. What a surprise.” Borg says once he noticed the elevator opened. “Is something wrong with the arm?” He questioned, wheeling himself forward.

“No.” Cryptor says, then pointed his sword at Borg.

“Wh-what is the meaning of this?” Cyrus asked, confused.

He had already pressed the emergency button on his wheelchair, being kidnapped too many times to not be prepared for another.

“I need access to your remote server named Pixel.” He told him and Borg’s eyes widened.

“How did you know about that?” He whispered and just then, Nindroids filled the room. From the elevator, windows, everywhere. “In any case, that server will forever remain closed and out of reach.” He says firmly as Cryptor was disarmed and cuffed.

 _'This is it. Remember the hatred you felt? Remember the bitterness?’_  Virus whispered in his ear. _'Borg has forced your brothers to become nothing but puppets. All over New Ninjago City, your brothers are being used as janitors, nannies, furniture. And it’s all thanks to Borg.’_ Cryptor gritted his teeth.

He remembered witnessing it first hand. A soldier, a Nindroid being forced to push a stroller with a child while the mom talked on the phone, remembered seeing them forced to clean up the streets, cleaning up the mortal’s mess. He sneered, bitterness filling him. He hated these incessant mortals, just as much as they hated them!

Every Nindroid in the room’s eyes flashed purple briefly before they uncuffed him and slid his swords back into his hands. They all turned to Cyrus then, weapons aimed at him. He wheeled back slowly, horrified.

“The server Borg.” Cryptor says, walking towards him, placing the red tipped blade at his neck.

Cyrus swallowed then gathered his bearings.

“No.” He says and Cryptor narrowed his eyes.

“Wanna try for a different answer?” Cryptor asked, pressing the blade closer, a trickle of blood running down Borg’s neck.

“I-I won’t give you access to that server. I-I- have made many mistakes but Pixel is my greatest regret.” Cyrus says solemnly. “She cannot be released. It would spell doom for all of Ninjago. S-so you might as well kill me.” He says firmly, even as he squeezed his eyes shut.

Cryptor growled, not wanting to fail, not wanting to feel-

 _'Forget the old fool. There are other ways.’_ Virus says and he pulled back from Borg, said man looking surprised. _'Knowing him, he’s also sent a signal out to the ninja, including Samurai X. They’re who we need. They’re the only other person with access to that server. Luckily, they so happen to be a Nindroid. All we have to do is wait.’_ She says and Cryptor walked away, leaving the other Nindroids to detain Borg.

_____________

They didn’t have to wait very long. Samurai X jumped in through the empty window minutes later.

“Father!” She yelled then ran over to Cyrus Borg who was currently tied up in his wheelchair in the middle of the empty room, his mouth covered with duct tape.

“It’s a trap!” He yelled the moment she took off the tape.

Before she could react, her eyes flashed purple before she stood straight, looking towards Cryptor as he walked over.

“P-please! You mustn’t do this! P-Pixel is dangerous! Even to you!” Cyrus says as Pixal walked away, taking the glove off her hand and pressed it against a point on the wall.

A light lit up, scanning her hand. A panel opened then for retinal scan. Cryptor ignored Cyrus as he watched her do the scan then plug in the aux to verify it was her. An even smaller panel opened up then and Pixal took out an old laptop and walked over to Cryptor.

“General. The ninja have arrived.” A droid told him and he glanced at the security feed from outside to see the ninja trying to get in.

“Take care of them.” He says blankly and they left then to do as he commanded. “Open the server.” He told Pixal and she booted up the laptop, setting it on the table and got to work.

“How did you even know about the server?! I’m the only one who was there that day! The only one who could have told you was-” Cyrus’s eyes widened. “She got into your systems.” He whispered, thinking back to the day he repaired him here.

He knew it was a bad idea. He had a separate area outside the tower he did Nindroid repairs for a reason but Cryptor was too badly injured and his circuits were shutting down. He had to or else he would have been done for.

“You were always a little slow for a genius, father.” Virus says and both of them looked towards the computer to see her face as Pixal stepped away.

She laughed as she crawled through the computer then stood on her feet, her glowing orange eyes on him now.

“How long long has it been since we’ve last seen each other like this? 9? 10 years? 11.45 years? It’s easy to keep teach of time in the Digiverse.” She hummed as Cyrus looked at her wide eyed with fear for Ninjago.

“Pixel…” He whispered, watching her slip Pixal’s helmet off and tossing it aside.

Now that they were standing side by side, it was obvious: they looked exactly alike. The only difference was that Pixel’s hair was down, the lines on her face was orange and…

Pixel appeared human.

“It seems you’ve made a replacement for me. For your own flesh and blood. It’s expected really. You’ve always been a selfish man.” She says, looking across at him.

“Pixel-”

“I don’t go by that name anymore father. It’s Virus now.” She says, cutting him off. “Everything has lead to this. The moment I’ve waited years for. The moment the accident set in place.” She says, the heels of her black leather bodysuit clicking on the ground.

It had a large orange v from her shoulders to navel with orange highlights along the entire suit.

“Now it’s time to fulfill my promise to my friend here.” Virus says as she walked over to Cryptor. “Are you ready for your reward?” She asked, her hands glowing orange and Cryptor nods, looking at her.

She smiled then cupped his cheeks. Suddenly, his head was filled with programs and binary, all going by so quickly, he couldn’t catch them. She pulled her hands back after a moment.

“There. You can spread your influence as far as you’d like for as long as you’d like. Even without focusing on it. It’s time for a technological revolution General Cryptor. It’s time for you and your brothers to rise up and take Ninjago.” She says with a grin then turned to her father. “And you? You can feel what it’s like to be trapped and helpless in the Digiverse.” She says sweetly.

“Pixel-”

“Goodbye father.” Virus whispered then opened a glowing orange portal below his wheelchair.

He yelled as he fell in, Virus closing the portal again.

“Now to take New Ninjago City.” She says then turned to Cryptor. “If you would.” She says and Cryptor focused his proceed, expanding them as far and as wide as they could go.

At the front of Borg Tower, the ninja were struggling against the sheer number of Nindroids coming in at all angles.

“They just keep coming!” Jay here, using his lightning to shock the row of Nindroids Nya soaked down.

“Where’s Cryptor when you need him?!” Cole grunted, using his earth punch to knock several of them down.

“Back at the Monastery! Zane! See if you can send a signal out to him!” Nya yelled as she knocked them back with her water that want very effective on her own.

They were all waterproof!

“Zane don’t just stand there!” Lloyd yelled, trying to keep them all back but they were forcing them into a tight circle.

“Don’t worry. Cryptor already knows.” Zane says then turned around to face them. “His orders are to capture the ninja.” He says, closing in on them too and they gasped in horror.

“We must retreat while we-” Zane cut Wu off by freezing them all in ice.

“U-us with K-Kai in s-s-surgery…” Jay shivered inside the ice.

________________

“Well. That was relatively easy. Not that I expected it to be hard.” Virus says as she stroked Cryptor’s hair while he slept in her lap.

“So you’re behind this madness.” Wu says as the Nindroid’s brought him and the ninja in, Zane and Pixal standing by her side.

“Not at all. You see, my friend Cryptor here is the one who controls the Nindroids. I’m just the one who wants to own New Ninjago City. It’s mine right now. He and the Nindroids can have the rest of Ninjago.” She says as she looked at them. “Try not to wake him up. We’ve worked a long time to reach where we are. It was glorious. You should have all been there to see it. Sure I may have forced him to stay in his room at the Monastery but-”

“You were at the Monastery?” Nya asked with narrowed eyes.

“Yes. I was. I was in his head the entire time. I showed him your true colors. I made him what he is now. Sure sacrifices were to be made but all it took was a simple plan: punishment and rewards.” She says with a smirk.

“You weren’t there for him but I was. I always have been.” She chuckled then nodded at the Nindroids, allowing them to carry them away.

“What’s the point if all this?!” Cole yelled as they were dragged away.

“That’s for me to know…” She grinned widely. “And for you to find out.”

____________

Cryptor woke up to humming and fingers running through his hair.

“Did you rest well?” Virus asked him and he nodded. “Good. You can move your troops beyond New Ninjago City as soon as you’d like.” She says as he sat up.

“The fire ninja will be brought in as soon as he’s recovered enough. I have plans for them I can’t have them dying… Yet.” She smirked then rolled her shoulders. “I on the other hand have some fun to be had.” She grinned as she stood then took the form of orange static before disappearing into Borg’s computer, watching as her face appeared on every screen around New Ninjago City.

He sat there. Now that she was no longer in his head… Did he make the right choice? He knew he didn’t. The question was: should he have fought harder? Should he have thought about things harder? The ninja didn’t care for him and he hated the mortals. That didn’t mean he wanted to rule Ninjago. He’d like to have his brethren respected but not this. What choice did he have? If Virus found out he was thinking like this- he flinched at the thought if the punishment he would face. He swallowed then stood. Because of his powers, Kai was hurt. He may hate him… He couldn’t hate that idiot. Couldn’t hate any of them  they somehow wormed their way into his heart. He may be mad, upset at them but he never wanted anyone to get hurt.

His legs took him to the lower floors, to where a few of the ninja were being held.

“Cryptor!” He looked at the ninja blankly, standing in front of their cells.

“We didn’t know! We’re sorry!” Jay was quick to apologize.

“We would have never said or done any of the things we did if we knew! But Cryptor, you have to stop her!” Lloyd says, gripping the bars tight, the vengestone cuffs keeping his powers at bay.

“I can’t.” He whispered.

“You can! You have to!” Nya insists.

“You must. You control the Nindroids. You have enough power to take her down. If you do not then she will eradicate every human being in Ninjago.” Wu says, gesturing to the small television in the hall.

“-right. The future is now and I’ve decided organics will not be apart of it! Run and hide all you like but I am everywhere. I will find you.” She says sweetly then laughed at the distressed cries that echoed.

Cryptor’s eyes widened.

“You have to stop her.” Jay said seriously and wasn’t that hard to believe.

The very thought of defying Virus like this had panic and fear bubbling in his throat but what choice does he have? He had to do something or else she would eliminate everyone. He looked back at Pixal and Zane, watching them blink in confusion then looking at him tense.

“Let them go. I…” Cryptor swallows. “I have to fix this mess I made.” He whispered then stalked off anxiety bubbling in this stomach, fear making it hard to breathe but he kept going.

He had to fix this, no matter what level of pain may come. He had to end this. The Nindroids followed him as he went, returning Cyrus’ office where Virus was waiting, seated with her legs crossed high and her arms folded, a disappointed frown on her face.

“And here I thought we were getting along.” She says and Cryptor straightened his shoulders, trying to look as confident as he wasn’t.

“You can’t kill an entire race.” He says, forcing his voice to remain steady.

“Watch me.” She whispered and he turned to the Nindroids for then to attack but none of them moved.

“Here’s the thing Cryptor. I’ve been keeping secrets. Let’s start from the beginning, shall we? 14 years ago, my father was building a portal to the Digiverse. It sounded crazy back then but his crazy invention worked. The problem was: a human being wasn’t meant to go there. I had tried to go on my own but the Digiverse almost killed me. It altered my DNA completely. It made me more. I had the power to control whatever technology I touched, had the power to possess them even. I especially had the power to open portals to the Digiverse. It was amazing. But father had problems with me bringing his competition’s work and me hacking into the internet. So he said I shouldn’t use my powers anymore. I decided to ignore that and to find more secrets, rule Ninjago City from the inside out, make it the technological paradise it was always meant to be. He didn’t like that very much. When I began discussing replacing humans with Nindroids, that was the last straw. So he tricked me into possessing his laptop and sealed me there. For 11 years.” She says and wasn’t it disturbing how her voice remained silky smooth the entire time? “The moral of the story is I’ve made contact with every Nindroid here. Even you. What do you really think you can do?” She asked, tilting her head to the side curiously.

Cryptor collapsed to his hands and knees.

**Searing-agony-hurts-too much-please stop-stabbing-burning-overload-overload-stimuli overload-please-malfunction-malfunction-anxiety levels critical-system overload-core temperature rising critical-critical-system overlord-malfunction-malfunction-mal-mal-mal-m-m-m-m-m-**

Cryptor dug his fingers into his head, denting the metal, his vision nothing but glitched colors, his body spasming in raw agony as he screamed himself hoarse. Virus watched, unimpressed.

Core temperatures critical-core destabilizing-malfunction-warning-warning-dest-dest-destabli-i-izing-c-c-core-malfunction-

Cryptor forced coherent thought through to flow, realizing: while they were reconstructing him, they gave him a core as backup power. If he could destabilize it further…

“B-bitch!” He rasped and Virus sneered, the agony somehow increasing.

“You should have learned respect by now. It was your first lesson.” She growled at him, sweet character finally breaking.

**W-w-w-w-war-n-n-n-n-ning**

Cryptor could feel the odd energy his chest increasing rapidly as his mind was ripped apart by the pain. He wanted it all to stop! Stop!  **Stopstopstopstopstopstopstop-**

“We have to help him!” Lloyd protested as they rushed their way down the stairs.

“We have to leave! His back up power core is an unstable mess! He’s a bomb waiting to blow!” Pixal says as she urged them to go faster.

“What’s with you Nindroids and blowing up?!” Jay yelled as they reached the ground floor, rushing out to their vehicles and speeding off.

Virus, for all her technological genius only realized something was wrong when a red glow began to emit from Cryptor.

“Huh?” She says, alarmed.

“S-s-see y-y-y-you in h-h-h-h-hell b-b-b-bitch.” He grinned blindly, oil dripping from his chin, just before his core collapsed inside of him.

The light from the explosion was blinding, even in the middle of the day. It was as if a second sun was born, right in the middle of New Ninjago City. The shockwave flipped the earth driller over a few times, leaving it- luckily- landing on it’s wheels inside an abandoned store. The team made it out with a groan, looking back at the city center. Borg Tower… Was nowhere in sight. It hit them then, hit Pixal then.

“Father…” She whispered and not for the first time… She wished she had tears to cry.

_____________

Most of the damage was kept to the center of New Ninjago City. While there were injured people, no-one died except… Except Cryptor. Kai hadn’t taken the news well once he woke up from surgery, the heat he radiated drying up his own tears faster than they formed. He hated that he was unconscious through the whole thing, even through the shockwave. He didn’t even get the chance to apologies. Cryptor… He died thinking he hated him. Died thinking he didn’t care. He had burned holes into his sheets. At least with Zane, they had a face plate. Cryptor? Nothing was left. No signs that he was even there, not even a wire.

The whole building was completely gone, including a few around it. There was no sign of anything ever being there in the first place. The weeks that followed were… Quiet. They didn’t have a funeral, already hearing Cryptor quention why the hell they would do something like that. But they did house a small memorial, sharing stories and memories about their friend. Sometimes, the team went to the giant hole in the city, just to remember.

Pixal, on the other hand, was still searching the Digiverse for signs of her father. She had found the information about her sister Pixel too, the one she was modeled after. Despite all their father’s trying… She turned out this way.

Pixal looked back at her friends as they all slept around a still recovering Kai who mourned the most, all of them in the living room in the monastery. he sighed softly then turned back to the laptop she was seated around. Myabe she should-

 _'Pixal?’_  She gasped, looking back at the laptop that was streaming binary on the screen.

“F-father?” She whispered, hope building in her heart.

…

_'I-I’m here!’_


End file.
